Tag Archives: fayetteville ark

Carolyn Wagner

Carolyn Wagner

Former P-FLAG vice president Carolyn Wagner, 57, died of cancer in Tulsa.

Wagner became an advocate for the LGBT community after her son was a victim of bullying. She sued the Fayetteville, Ark., school district in a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, where she prevailed.

While he was a teenager, Wagner brought her son to Dallas to participate in the Gayla Prom, which was then held at the Dallas Grand Hotel in Downtown. At the time it was the only event of its type held anywhere in the region and one of the few in the country. P-FLAG Dallas was the event’s sponsor.

Wagner said at the event that she was delighted to have her son experience a healthy dating environment.

Wagner served as grand marshal of the Tulsa Pride parade in 2000. She founded the support group, Families United Against Hate.

She was a nurse who spent her career caring for children that were abuse victims and those with cancer and terminal illnesses. She founded Camp Rainbow for children with cancer.

Wagner died Jan. 18, and a memorial service was held Saturday. Donations may be made to P-FLAG.

Louise Raggio

Dallas women’s rights activist Louise Raggio, 91, died this weekend.

She was the first female Dallas County assistant district attorney. When Raggio was first hired she was paid half what the men in the department made. She was the first woman in Dallas to prosecute a criminal case and the first woman to serve as director of the State Bar of Texas.

After going into private practice, Raggio worked to get the Marital Property Act of 1967 passed. Prior to passage of that law, married women could not have their own bank accounts, apply for mortgages or have their own credit in Texas. Dallas District Court Judge Lorraine Raggio is her daughter-in-law. Her son, Greer Jr., ran for Congress in 2010 against incumbent Pete Sessions.

Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne, 96, the original TV fitness expert, died on Sunday. His show began in 1951 and ran for 34 years.

“The only way you can hurt the body is not use it,” LaLanne said. “Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it’s never too late.”

In 1955, at age 41, LaLanne swam handcuffed from Alcatraz to San Francisco. The year before, he set a world record swimming the length of the Golden Gate Bridge under water. In 1956, he set a world record for push-ups.

LaLanne opened his first gym in 1936. By the 1980s, he owned more than 200 Jack LaLanne’s European Health Spas. The company became Bally’s Total Fitness.

Well, watch this video of Will speaking at the parade in Fayetteville, and it’s pretty obvious that he definitely has a mind of his own, and that he is perfectly capable of forming his own well-reasoned opinions.